Liquid dispensers are widely used in various industries. Chemical solutions including fertilizers, pesticides, and detergents and so on are often mixed from various concentrates and solvents before dispensed for use or storage. Similar dispensers also find applications in the medical field. In the food and beverage industry, liquid dispensers are widely used in all kinds of venues such as quick service restaurants.
The liquid dispensers used in food and beverage industry reconstitute juice syrup concentrates with a potable diluent, e.g., potable water, and then dispense the reconstituted juice into a container at the point of consumption. This kind of dispensers are sometimes called “postmix” dispensers as they produce a final product in contrast to a “premix” beverage that is prepackaged with the final constituents (flavor, gas, etc.) and ready for consumption. For safety and taste reasons, a postmix beverage dispenser often requires refrigeration in the dispenser of various components that eventually go into the postmix product. Both postmix and premix dispensers may use a bag-in-box type of assembly.
In liquid dispensing systems that use bag-in-box types of assemblies, it is desirable to fully utilize the content of the bag package in the box. One object of the present invention is to devise a box that will aid the evacuation of the bag content. Another object of the invention is to prevent kinking of the drainage tube, which helps to ensure uninterrupted liquid supply before each bag is used up. A further object of the invention is to ensure that the drainage tube is at a predetermined location such that liquid flow inside the tube can be monitored, e.g., through an automatic sensor. Yet another object of the invention is to provide features on the box that will aid stacking of multiple boxes and their handling. Remaining objects of the invention include enabling a dispensing machine to detect the presence of the box.